Here is our list of the best online coffee break ideas.
Online coffee break ideas are games and activities employees can do while meeting peers for remote coffee chats. Examples include yoga sessions, icebreaker games, and show & tell. The purpose of these activities is to refresh the employees’ minds after the meeting discussion and kick-start them for the next discussion. These games also ensure team building among remote teams.
These gatherings are examples of Zoom meeting ideas and online team social events.
This list includes:
- online coffee break games
- online coffee break activities
- online meeting coffee break ideas
- online coffee talk conversation topics
Let’s get started!
List of online coffee break ideas
Online coffee breaks give employees face-to-face time with remote coworkers and facilitate casual work banter in online offices. Employees and companies working remotely enjoy online coffee breaks, as they allow teammates to chat casually and get to know each other beyond work. Coffee breaks can give staff extra time to relax and battle the sense of disconnect that often appears in virtual work environments.
Here is our list of the best virtual coffee break ideas to help remote workers feel closer to their peers and boost online team morale.
1. Coffee Art Challenge
You can add artistic flair to your virtual coffee break with a coffee art challenge. Instead of just sipping your coffee, make it an interactive experience! Folks can grab their favorite coffee mugs and turn the frothy layer of milk on top into a work of art. Whether it is a fancy design or a simple doodle, the challenge is making the coolest-looking coffee. You can decorate your drink with milk, cream, or even cocoa powder. This activity is all about expressing yourself and having fun with your team. You can even award prizes to the best coffee artists!
2. DIY Coffee Scrub Tutorial
You can give your coffee break a spa-like twist with a DIY coffee scrub tutorial. Coffee is full of antioxidants and is great for scrubbing your skin. You can take a breather and guide your team through easy recipes. Participants can create scrubs with coffee grounds, coconut oil, and sugar. Later on, participants can share their experiences using these homemade scrubs. This activity is a unique way to make your coffee break about self-care, promoting wellness and creativity among your team.
Here are some great coffee scrub recipes.
3. Pet Parade
Pet lovers love to show their pets to the world, and many consider coworker animal cameos one of the main perks of working from home. Therefore, a pet parade can be a great option for online coffee break activities.
In this activity, each participant will show off their pets. Therefore, it is best to do this activity if all of your team members have a pet. However, you can also give pet-less teammates a heads up to bring photos of a childhood pet or a dream pet so they can also participate in the fun.
The employees can show their adorable pets to others on camera. You can also turn it into a game with a fancy dress competition. The participants will dress their pets fancy, and the one with the best dress and accessories will win. Seeing a cute puppy or cat in a tiny costume can be the perfect workday pick-me-up.
4. International Coffee Tour
You can take a virtual trip around the world during your coffee break with an international coffee tour. Participants can explore different coffee cultures, traditions, and flavors from different countries. For instance, teams can learn about the history of Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, the taste of Italian espresso, or the process of Japanese pour-over coffee. You can even mail employees international coffee grounds so you can do taste tests together. Also, share your favorite facts and experiences related to each country. This activity is a fun way to make your coffee break educational and diverse.
Check out this Around the World coffee-tasting kit.
5. Coffee Cup Flipping
The coffee cup flipping challenge is one of the simplest online coffee break games to spice up your virtual coffee break. Players only need a disposable coffee cup and a flat surface. First, players will grab an empty cup and stand near the edge of the table. Participants hold the cup by its rim and give it a quick wrist flick to make it flip in the air. The objective is to land the empty cup upside down on the table. Teams can compete to see who can flip the cup the quickest, or they can see who can flip the most cups within a time limit. Either way, this game requires skill and precision, making it a fun addition to coffee breaks.
6. Skill Swap
Skill swap is a fun yet informative activity for employees that can make their coffee breaks productive. In this exercise, employees teach their skills to coworkers.
These skills can or cannot be work-related.
Examples include:
- Cooking
- Coding
- Painting
- Learning a new language
- Folding origami
During each coffee break, one participant will teach a skill. For best results, these presentations should be five-minute mini lessons on easy-to-understand topics. Then, both call partners should get a turn to teach their talents.
You can even ask participants to post a quick recap to a Slack channel so the team can understand their coworkers’ unique skills.
7. Coffee Break Word Association Challenge
The coffee break word association challenge is a fun and engaging game for virtual gatherings. To play the game, the host starts by saying a word, and participants take turns saying related words. For example, if the initial word is “coffee,” then the next player might say “beans,” then “brew,” and so on. The challenge is to think quickly and make connections that keep the chain going. To make the game even more interesting, set a time limit for each participant’s response. This activity is a simple yet entertaining way to encourage creativity and connections during virtual coffee breaks.
8. DIY Coffee Mug Painting
You can turn your virtual coffee break into a personalized art session with the DIY coffee mug painting activity. Participants should gather plain ceramic mugs, acrylic paints, brushes, and any extras like stickers. You can also mail folks mug-painting kits in advance. While folks sip coffee, show them how to paint mugs, share tips, and let them get creative. To make this activity more social, encourage folks to share their mug designs as they paint. By the end, the whole team will have personalized mugs and have a fun time together online. Plus, teams can use their new mugs during the next coffee gathering!
Here is a coffee mug painting kit you can order.
9. Guess My Fridge
Guess my fridge is one of the funniest online meeting coffee break ideas. The activity is easy to play and will not take much time. However, the results can be fascinating.
In this unique game, a team member will show their fridge to the other employees in the video conference. Based on the food in the fridge, the other members will guess the owner. Coffee breakers can also comment on the placement of the food and material in the fridge and how clean it is.
10. Guess the Coffee Sound
You can put your team’s listening skills to the test with guess the coffee sound! Participants take turns creating coffee-related sounds off camera, such as grinding beans, frothing milk, or brewing a cup. The rest of the team listens and tries to figure out what is making the sound. Players who guess the most sounds correctly win! This game adds an element of surprise and laughter to your coffee break. Also, this activity sparks conversations about each colleague’s unique coffee rituals and preferences.
11. Coffee Riddles
If you are looking to test your team’s puzzle skills, then consider solving coffee-themed riddles during your break! To host this activity, write a set of clever coffee-themed riddles. Then, share these riddles with colleagues to see who can solve them!
Here are some examples of riddles:
- Riddle: I’m tiny and robust, a caffeine-packed dream. In a portafilter, I gleam. A quick extraction, strong and true. What am I, in a shot for you?
- Answer: Espresso
- Riddle: I’m roasted and ground, a flavorful prize. Before brewing, I meet your eyes. From Arabica to Robusta, I’m diverse. What am I before your morning converse?
- Answer: Coffee beans
- Riddle: I’m steamed and frothy, a velvety delight topped with art, a barista’s highlight. Latte or cappuccino, the choices are vast. What am I, a creamy contrast?
- Answer: Milk froth
This exercise is a great way to get folks thinking in the morning and encourage problem-solving.
12. Show Your Workspace
Remote teams have a different workspace setup compared to in-person offices. For example, some employees might be working lying on their beds while others would have a proper workplace or separate room for work.
In this activity, employees will show their workspace on camera. First, however, ensure that everybody is comfortable displaying their space.
You might be surprised that some employees do not even have a workspace, some have everything scattered on the table as they work, and others might have a fully organized and modern home office setup.
It is a good idea to tell the employees beforehand about this activity so that participants have time to tidy up if they prefer.
13. TEDx-Style Talks
Virtual teams often lack communication and body language skills due to less in-person interaction. Arranging a TEDx-style talk for your remote team during the coffee break is a great idea to supercharge online presentation skills.
You can ask the employees to prepare a motivational or emotional speech. However, it would be best if you gave speakers the freedom to choose the topic and ask them to be as creative as possible.
The speakers can tell the story of their hardships and how they tackled them to give motivation. However, a better idea is to share funny incidents to make everyone laugh.
TEDx-style talks can be inspiring as everyone will bring different stories to the meeting. This exercise can provide a conversation topic for the call and help remote team members discover coworkers’ backgrounds and passions.
For best results, keep the speeches short and ask each participant to speak for three to five minutes. After sharing, coffee break partners can share praise and opinions and continue the discussion.
14. Tea and Coffee Spree
No virtual coffee break is complete without coffee or tea. One great tip for an online coffee break is to encourage participants to bring a hot cup to the call. To sweeten the deal, as the employer, you can send team members stipends to cover a cup or send box sets of tea and coffee for staff to enjoy during these calls.
Another fun idea is for all partners to share their favorite coffee drink or tea flavor with their coworkers. Each partner will whip up the drinks and try them out. This step can provide drink inspiration and help coworkers find a new go-to work drink while also getting to know more about their coworkers.
For maximum team bonding, encourage team members to bring interesting mugs to the call!
15. Gratitude Break
Talking with your coworkers during coffee breaks is a source of team building. Sharing gratitude and wins and motivating others to be consistent is a fantastic idea to boost the morale of your employees.
In its simplest form, callers will simply list out a few things for which they are thankful. You can tell the employees about this activity beforehand or have participants think of examples on the spot. These stories can be work-related or related to their personal life.
Sharing gratitude with others can help change the perspective of your employees. If your company is dealing with problems or a complex project, then such stories will motivate the employees. The participants will also take out time to celebrate the gratitude of others and help each other become a better version of themselves.
16. Coffee Bean Stacking
Coffee bean stacking can make your coffee break a bit more exciting! While sipping your drinks, challenge your team to stack coffee beans one by one and see who can make the tallest tower within a time limit. Whoever gets the tallest tower wins! For a fun prize, consider sending the winner a gift card to their favorite coffee shop. This playful competition adds a friendly rivalry to the break. Plus, you can play it during any coffee break and see if your skills improve!
17. Poetry Sessions
If your remote team has poetry lovers, then it is time to showcase their skills and bring them to the spotlight.
Your team might include people who write poetry and those who recite the lines of their favorite poets. You can welcome both and ask them to share their favorite pieces of poetry.
In the end, you can also ask the poets to discuss the poems in detail and give their explanations.
18. Feedback Friday
Getting valuable feedback from your employees is necessary for the welfare of your company. You can host a feedback Friday and ask employees to share their experiences and feedback during the coffee break.
The employees should be free to give honest reviews and exchange ideas and views.
The participants will share their insights about the company. Team members can also give constructive criticism to help you improve your workflow and processes.
19. DIY Time
Sharing art and craft ideas is always a great activity to give a break from work. You can ask the employees to share their creativity and show some pieces of homemade art. Everyone has a unique skill, and you should appreciate hobbies.
If some employees do not like doing art, you can ask them about random hacks they use at home. This small activity can be beneficial, as it will teach the participants new hacks and crafts.
This list of team building kits has some great DIY ideas.
20. Funny Questions
Asking funny questions is one of the best online coffee talk conversation topics. Humourous questions will lighten the mood and make unfamiliar teammates more instantly comfortable with each other.
In this activity, you can ask all the employees to prepare random funny questions. Then, each participant will take a turn springing these humorous prompts on their partner.
Examples include:
- What was your worst haircut?
- What would your welcome song be if you were a wrestler?
- What is the first thing you would do if you woke up tomorrow as an animal?
- What would you like to be famous for?
- What has your most weird dress been?
Another idea is to use an online platform like Wood Wall to generate online questions. This platform can provide instant inspiration if your employees have difficulty asking funny questions.
21. Virtual Karaoke Sessions
A virtual karaoke session can lighten the mood of online coffee breaks and provide a much-needed energy boost mid-day. Arranging a virtual karaoke session is easy.
To prepare for the activity, you can have the breakers list out a few favorite karaoke songs and sing a duet of any overlapping requests. Or, participants can sing random songs by putting lyric videos on shuffle. Callers do not have to sing songs in full but are welcome to do full songs if they are really feeling the tune.
Singing along in groups and listening to solo performances will make everyone enjoy themselves. This activity can help remote coworkers feel less shy around each other, and the music lovers in your group will have the best time!
Conclusion
Online coffee break activities are amazing ideas to engage your remote team in different activities during work hours. These special meetings enable one-on-one casual video chats, which allows you to learn more about your coworkers apart from their work routines. These ideas are perfect for breaking up the monotony of the workday, banishing the isolation that can arise while working from home, and creating a more closely connected, cohesive working culture in your online office. Remote coffee breaks are a great way to engage employees, facilitate team bonding, and create a fun and inviting online workplace environment.
Now, check out online wellness ideas for work.
